Fighting the Fire
by HeartBender and ZelosWilder
Summary: When Zuko and Aang start to travel together, what adventures might ensue? Humorous, adventurous, ...romantic? No, Zutara will not last long here! Read and Review Please! Sixth chapter coming, working on it!
1. Collision

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Sun was high overhead. Li could feel the heat rising from the vegetation covered forest floor. With each clomp of his boots, a coating of dust covered higher and higher up his legs. It was difficult and painful to do anything with his parched mouth. _Climbing up this mountain will let me see farther. I can locate some water, or a town. _Yea. _That_ was a good idea. Let's forget about the wild animals, rough, steep terrain, that remembering the last time food was eaten seemed to be impossible, and that trained and well-nourished soldiers were in pursuit. _No problem. I am almost there. They are looking for Prince Zuko, fugitive of the Fire Nation. I am not him. I am **Li.**_

Aang swooped lower. The squirrel jackknifed to the right and dashed up a tree. Aang sighed. This mountain was big, and it was getting hotter as the sun climbed higher in the sky. The forest was overrun with squirrels. Chasing them was fun, but the squirrels stirred up clouds of dust that rose in his face. The idea was to reach the top, and maybe find water, or a town.

He scanned the ground. There! Another squirrel…

"AAAGH!!" A bright, blinding light filled his eyes. He nosedived, releasing his glider to rub his eyes. Big mistake. The glider went left, Aang went right.

SMASH! Right into a tree, and down into a sea of dust. Coughing, he pulled himself into a sitting position, then used Airbending to stand.

_Now, where did that light come from?_

Then he remembered his glider. A feeling of dread came to him when he recalled the sickening crunch. On locked knees, he walked over to where it lay. The front was pushed into the ground at the base of the tree. The left side was shredded. It had caught in the long, sharp branches, then slid down, tearing on the way. It was clear the thing was completely unusable.

Where was Sokka? _If he had been here, I would have been walking with him and this wouldn't have happened!_

As soon as the thought reached him, Aang felt worse. It wasn't Sokka's fault. It was nobody's. Just a tragic accident. Tears welled up in his eyes. The glider was very special to him. It was a gift from Monk Gyatso. The tears spilled over.

_No. Can't just sit here crying about it. Going to find whatever caused that glare. Maybe a town. I could have them fix it. I'll find a way._

With renewed determination, he continued the trek up the mountain.


	2. Surprise

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

* * *

Finally, the top! Li pulled his foot over the last stone. His chest heaved.

_Why am I wearing all this armor!?_

"Because it is too heavy to lug around." His own voice sounded strange to him. He sat down with a long sigh. If he didn't get water soon, he would pass out. At least now he could rest. It would take Azula's army longer than it took him to climb that mountain, especially staying in formation and carrying more stuff than he was. But that didn't mean he could stop moving for too long. Princess Azula of the Fire Nation was ruthless. Nothing would stop her from capturing her fugitive brother for long.

_Not even all the squirrels in this forest, _he thought, remembering the number of the small furry animals he had come across. _There must be water around here somewhere. They have to live off more than nuts and pinecones from those Bear-Pine trees. Maybe over this ridge?_

Li stood up. _First, to take off all this armor. _He removed his breastplate, shoulder pads, and all other outer armor. Frowning, he noticed they were covered in dust. Old habits die hard. Taking his sleeve, he rubbed off the layer of dust and dirt. Even the bird poop. The sun rained down and made it all shine. He felt much better now that he wasn't wearing it all. Of course, now his sleeve was all dirty. _Must find some water soon to clean this thing. _Picking everything up, he turned and started walking to the edge of the ridge. Maybe something promising would be on the other side...

Li gasped. The mountain was really a big crater! And in it, a giant lake! All tiredness forgotten, he started running down to the expanse of water. When he reached the shore, he dropped his armor, pulled down his hair from the red ribbon holding it up, and stripped off his shirts and pants. With a giant grin he dived into the water. It felt so good! He started gulping in mouthfuls. Then he resurfaced, coughing and sputtering. He swam back to shallow water and relaxed. He could allow himself a little relaxing time.

* * *

Aang groaned to himself. Flying was _so _much better than walking. At least he would reach the top in a few minutes. He could see it from where he was. And it was easier to talk to the squirrels on the ground than in the air. Whatever had made that glare had been on the ground too.

Just then, a squirrel darted across his path. "Hey little guy, do you know where I could find some water?"

The squirrel kept running up to the ridge. Aang couldn't resist giving chase. It took his mind off his thirst. Dust rose everywhere as they ran. Suddenly the ground levelled out. Aang stopped running. Panting, he looked around him. Yes, he had reached the top. The shiny thing must be around here somewhere. Maybe over the other side? Aang crept to the edge of the ridge. It could be an enemy, whatever it was. Then he felt a breeze playing across his face and over his once clean-shaven head. He didn't like to think about it, but a fine layer of stubble had grown in. If he kept this up, his arrow would be covered in...hair!

_Focus! Find whatever that thing was. Decide if it was an enemy or a friend. _Aang was surprised to find a giant lake over the other side. The mountain must really be a giant crater. A glare caught his eye. That was what had blinded him, contributing to the crash. But the thing wasn't moving. Unperturbed, Aang walked down to it. When he saw what it was, his heart sank. That armor belonged to his old enemy, Prince Zuko!


	3. A Find

DIsclaimerI do not own ATLA

Li relaxed in the shallow water at the lake's edge. The sun was shining, he had found water, there was no one around, except for Azula, but he wasn't even sure about her. Hopefully she had suffered a bad run-in with a bear. Or maybe a rabid foaming-at-the-mouth squirrel intent on taking her and her army down so it could build a nice nest in their helmets and….His thoughts wandered on as he slowly slipped into sleep.

Aang froze. What was he going to do? If Zuko was somewhere around here, so were his cronies, his crew from his ship. But why were Zuko's things gathered into a pile here? What if it was a trap? _I could just turn and walk away right now, fight my away through an ambush._

Then he heard a deep inhale and exhale of breath. Aang spun around, and stood frozen in shock again. There was Prince Zuko, fast asleep in the water close to the shoreline! But could he be faking? Cautiously Aang tiptoed over to where his most persistent enemy lay. Zuko was wearing nothing more than his under-shorts. Even his long black hair was down from its usual high pony. Aang noted that he too was getting a layer of stubble over his head. He looked much thinner. And he seemed to be by himself. What was he doing out there? _Stalking me? Should I wake him up?_

Zuko stirred again. For the first time since Aang had remembered his face was not twisted into an ugly scowl. It looked…peaceful. Even his scar wasn't that painful to look at. Then Aang heard a low rumbling sound. Zuko must have been hungry. His stomach didn't sound happy.

_What are the chances of him attacking me if I wake him up? _Pretty good, Aang knew. Zuko had never passed up the chance of capturing Aang. Yet, Aang was a match for Zuko, maybe more than.

Aang looked at the ruined staff he had carried with him since the crash. _That light was the Sun reflecting off his armor. _So then, Zuko owed Aang a new staff. That was good enough for him. Reaching out, he prodded the sleeping Zuko with it.

"Zuko, wake up!" he whispered.

Zuko cracked open his eyes. "GO away!!"

He hadn't realized it was Aang, then. What would happen when he did?


	4. A Fight

Disclaimer: No I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Li grimaced. Nobody on his ship prodded him to get him-

"AAH!" With a shout and a burst of flame he leapt up. He had expected Azula, but the person standing before him was none other than the Avatar! He didn't let his surprise affect him. He started to unleash a barrage of fireballs, but the Avatar blocked blow after blow, using his staff. He wasn't using it very well.

_I could shoot around it._ Li shot his left arm to the left, reaching his right across his chest. The Avatar placed his staff crosswise to block the blow he thought was coming, and Li kicked his right leg up towards the Avatar's face.

"HA!" He could feel the heat moving towards his toes, see the flame coming out the tips. It was almost there… almost had the Avatar, finally…

Then he was falling, the Avatar's face moving farther and farther away above him. He felt the flame coming back towards him…it hurt, almost…

Aang stopped blocking, and stood with bated breath as Zuko passed out before him. He saw it as through slow motion, watched as the man that had almost killed him fell. He fell in an unnatural position, with his head cocked drastically to the side, his arms behind and above him, and legs splayed out. _He must be exhausted. Even that bit of Firebending wore him out. When was the last time he ate?_ Aang remembered the stomach rumbling.

He set down his staff. _I should move him from the shore. _He hestitantly reached down and turned Zuko's head so it was aligned with his body.

Zuko didn't move.

Aang moved his arms.

Zuko didn't stir.

Aang pulled his legs out straight, trying to remain ignorant that he Zuko was only wearing his undershorts. Then he dragged him up from the water, and by the trees. His arms were still wrapped around him. Zuko stirred, making a small noise deep in his throat.


	5. Thinking

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

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Aang knew he should release Prince Zuko. But his arms wouldn't move. He exhaled deeply, realizing he had been holding his breath. He sank to the ground. Zuko turned and pushed the top of his head into Aang's stomach. Even though he knew Zuko wasn't about to hurt him, he still felt fear flow briefly through him. Aang remembered how Zuko had not even cared that Aang was not fighting back. Blocking, yes, but he didn't let loose a single blow. The look in Zuko's eyes was so determined, desperate, almost. _Why is he all the way out here? Why am I? That's different! He has…had…his uncle, crew, a nation…_

The sleeping Zuko turned again. Aang could feel his muscles get taut. _What is he supposed to live off out here? He has to be too slow to catch a squirrel, and there are no other animals out here that I have seen. Where are his people? Did they…leave him?_

Aang looked down at the sleeping Zuko. He felt relaxed now, probably because Aang had been absent-mindedly rubbing the top of his head. Slowly Aang let his hand slide down to touch the scar over Zuko's eye. He flinched back slightly. _What could have happened? How did he get such a terrible mark?_

Aang let his hand slide even lower to Zuko's neck. Zuko turned his head to the side.

Gently Aang slipped his other arm out from underneath Zuko's back. He placed it on Zuko's chest, then slid it down to Zuko's side. Aang could feel his ribs. They weren't protruding, but showing and he could definitely feel them.

Suddenly Zuko pulled himself from Aang's grasp. He put his arms over his head and then s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d his body.

Aang grinned. He had never seen Zuko so at ease. Then he frowned when he realized that would certainly change when Zuko woke up.

He sighed.

Zuko curled himself up, pushing back into Aang, who contentedly placed his arms back around him. Zuko murmured and frowned. Aang softly stroked the smooth side of his face. The angry expression was soon replaced with a serene one.

He thought back to the last time he had seen Sokka. They had been walking together, talking.

"**Sokka, you're smart, where do you think we should go next?"**

"**Huh…let's see…I've got some places I've gotta stop by, see some of Dad's old friends, you know. You can come with me if you'd like. Unless, you know, you've got some Avatar stuff to do."**

**Well, Aang didn't know, but he said, "Okay, I do have some stuff to do."**

**Aang knew somewhere from inside him that he should spend some time on his own, figure out just how he was going to go about defeating the Fire Lord.**

**Sokka suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Um, so, I'll see ya, right?"**

**Aang felt a lump rise in his throat. **

"**Yea, I'll find you. I'll just ask for the brave Water tribe warrior that has traveled the world." **

"**Nah, how about the sarcastic idiot what loves meat?"**

**They both forced laughter. Abruptly Sokka got quiet. He scuffed the ground with his toe.**

"**Look, Sokka, I didn't-don't-want it like this. But it'll be okay. When I'm ready, I'll find you. All of you."**

**Sokka looked up. He clapped his hand on Aang's shoulder. "Yea, you're right. I'm sorry." He didn't really know what he was apologizing for. **

**Quickly Aang hugged Sokka very tightly, and then pulled away just as fast. **

**Sokka didn't want to prolong this anymore. He turned and started walking. Suddenly he paused, and then whirled around to face Aang. He put his arms up, hissing, "Water tribe!" **

**Aang giggled, for real this time. Sokka would be fine. He could work, find his friends. **

**Even so, Aang's once-carefree heart was heavy the day he said goodbye to his best friend.**

Zuko was coughing. Hard, racking coughs that made his whole body tremble.

Aang looked up. The Sun was starting to descend.

He scooted away from Zuko. He had to think. _Stay here with him, or leave now before he wakes up? _Zuko would need to get something to eat. _He can't get it himself, can he?_ But that Firebending Prince ate meat, not grass or pinecones.

_Well, neither do I. But still I think I could be better off than him. **I** can fly out-_

His glider was broken. He would be walking from here on out, until it was fixed.

_I should call Momo._ The lemur had gone ahead to explore when Aang first started up the mountain. Much to his concern, he hadn't seen him since.

His whistle was on a string around his neck. Now he blew on it, hard. It was primarily used for Appa, and was too high for people to hear (Sokka first thought it was broken) but animals could. Momo would be coming.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aang sensed movement. Zuko was sitting up.

* * *

OH, what will happen??!?!


End file.
